Fire protection sprinkler heads generally include a deflector plate for distributing a spray of water (or other fire retardant fluid) over a wide area. The deflector plate is attached to one end of the sprinkler head frame and positioned in the path of the stream of water that emerges from the throat of the sprinkler head at the opposite end of the frame and which is connectable to the source of water under pressure.
In the case of horizontal-sidewall sprinkler heads, which are typically mounted near the top of a vertical wall, the stream of water emerges horizontally from the throat and strikes a portion of the sprinkler head frame as well as the deflector plate. The deflector plate of horizontal-sidewall sprinklers usually consists of a primarily planar surface, more nearly horizontal than vertical, which is interconnected with a series of fluid deflecting elements that are more nearly vertical than horizontal.
The purposes of the primarily planar surface are to confine the upward trajectory of the spray of water as well as distribute a portion of it over the far reaches of the area to be protected by the sprinkler head. The principle purpose of the nearly vertical fluid deflecting elements is to distribute a portion of the spray of water over the area closer to the sprinkler head.
This invention relates to a particular configuration of the fluid deflecting elements which has been found to provide an improved means of distributing a portion of the spray over an area intermediate in distance from the sprinkler head.